A/N: It was an almost even split, so here you go:) Anyone confused by that, I'm posting two chapters today, so make sure you don't skip Chapter 7!
There's a note at the bottom with a question for anyone reading. Thanks:)
Lost and Found
"You," Carlisle snarled at Bella. "This is your fault."
"Watch your fuckin' tone with my mate, Carlisle," Jasper growled as he stepped in front of her.
"Uh… how exactly?" Bella asked Carlisle, looking around Jasper. "All I did was move to your town. I didn't steal anyone's husband or rip anyone's family apart," she said, then looked at Alice all casual and nonchalant. "Speaking of ripping families apart, Alice… Vicki said to tell you hey just before the wolves tore her apart."
Alice smirked at her but stayed quiet.
"Vicki?" Rosalie said. "Who's… Wait, as in Victoria? James' mate, Victoria?"
"Alice has been playin' a long game," Jasper said as he stared down his ex-wife. "That 'chance' meeting during the baseball game wasn't quite as coincidental as we all thought."
"What I don't understand…" Bella trailed off with a laugh and tugged at Jasper's arm. "Any chance you could move so I can see something besides your back, mister too tall for his own good?"
"Sorry," Jasper laughed and stepped back to her side, taking her hand in his, then growling in warning at Alice when she glared at his mate.
"Thanks," Bella smiled. "What I don't understand is why you didn't just kill me, Alice?"
"And relieve you of your misery?" Alice scoffed. "Not likely. I had to live without my husband, so you should have to live without your 'mate' and your family. I'd already seen that you and Jasper would never know your connection to each other, why would I bother killing you? I wanted you to suffer," she snarled.
Bella rolled her eyes. "I don't mean now, or even in all the time since you left Forks. I mean all the way back in the beginning when you first saw I was Jasper's mate? You do realize that, ultimately, you are the reason Jasper and I realized our connection to each other, right? If you hadn't dragged me to Volterra, Peter wouldn't have gotten a little nudge about me, which was what led Jasper here. You lost your husband all on your own because you'd been acting so strangely for two years without telling the man you were married to what was wrong, and for constantly putting him down, telling him what a disgrace he was to the family for supposedly trying to eat me at my party. Jasper and I didn't know we were mates. I hadn't talked to him in almost six months. Then your actions led to us finding each other."
Jasper laughed as Alice's eyes blazed in indignation and rage. "I hate to break it to you, Alice, but she's right. You were the architect of your own downfall. If you'd just gone ahead and quietly killed her before this whole weird, convoluted operation, I would have been none the wiser, and I imagine we'd still be married."
"Still think this is all my fault, Carlisle?" Bella asked with a cheeky grin, which was quickly followed by a gaping yawn. "Sorry," she laughed. "I know you're all dead and don't need sleep, but I'm still very much alive and need to rest for about eight hours in every twenty-four. Us humans are weird like that. Any chance we can wrap this up for the day so I can get my beauty sleep?" she asked the kings.
"Of course," Aro laughed. "The three guilty of crimes will be held securely overnight. In the—"
Aro was interrupted by a loud growl and Carlisle suddenly came flashing towards Bella. Or tried to, anyway. Her human eyes were a little too slow to pick up everything that immediately followed, but after about two blinks, Carlisle was in pieces on the ground and Jasper was stepping back to her side and wiping off his hands.
"Still think we could've kept him from Bella at her party, Edward?" Rosalie laughed.
Edward gasped in horror, then scowled at Rosalie before turning back to Jasper. "I always knew you were a monster," he sneered.
"Isn't Carlisle the monster in this scenario, Edward?" Bella asked in confusion. "He's like three-hundred… something years old - my math's never been great - and was about to attack a nineteen-year old human girl. Is that not at all monstrous to you? You all sure seem to have a bad habit of blaming everyone else for problems of your own making. So far tonight, every single problem caused by you, your psycho sister, and your darling father has been laid at my feet or my mate's feet. Not one of you have had the maturity or wisdom to accept responsibility for your actions," she said and shook her head, then looked up at her mate. "I'm tired and I'm tired of dealing with them."
"Alright," Jasper said softly and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "I'm gonna help my mate get those eight hours of sleep she so enjoys," he said to the kings, who all nodded. Jasper took Bella's hand and started walking to the door, but turned back at the last second. "If you put him back together, he'll be in the cells below the castle, correct? Not in the suite you've been kind enough to allow Edward and Alice to make use of?"
"Correct," all three kings said at the same time.
"Good," Jasper nodded. "Going by the amount of rage in my ex-wife, I might suggest you move her to more secure accommodations for the night also."
When Alice let out a low growl, a huge Emmett-sized vamp flashed over and clamped a giant hand around her arm. "Quiet," he snarled.
"Bella…" Emmett said hesitantly.
Bella shook her head. "Not tonight, Emmett," she said. "I'm not saying never, I'm saying not tonight. It's been a long ass few days for this human and I'm tired. I'll see you tomorrow."
Emmett nodded with a small, hopeful smile. "I understand. Sleep well."
Bella nodded. "Thank you. Goodnight, everyone. Oh! Jasper, is the person whose scent was in our kitchen in here?" she asked.
Jasper smiled and tipped his head toward a blond who was even tinier than Alice. "Yes, it was Jane."
Bella smiled and quickly walked over to the petite vamp. Before Edward could even utter the protest on his lips, Jasper didn't even bother with a warning, he just rolled his eyes and dropped him. Bella was in charge of Bella's life. Not Jasper, not Edward. Bella. She could hug every vamp in the damn room if it made her happy, as far as Jasper was concerned.
"Thank you, Jane. That was very thoughtful of you. May I give you a hug?" Bella asked. At Jane's very surprised but pleased nod, Bella gave her a quick hug. Then she whispered as quietly as humanly possible. "Don't think this means you're going to beat us at that quiz. My mate and I are gonna kick all your asses, regardless of how kind you all are."
When Jane let out a bright laugh, Bella smiled and squeezed her hand, then walked back to her mate, stepping right over Edward's prone body without batting an eye.
"Ready, hon?" she smiled up at Jasper, who laughed and nodded. "See you all tomorrow," she waved and let her mate lead her out the door, Charlotte and Peter right behind them.
There was silence in the throne room for a few seconds, and then three rage-filled growls reverberated around the room simultaneously. Before anyone could stop them - not that anyone tried, Felix even kindly stepped away from Alice to give them room to work - Emmett, Esme, and Rosalie lunged for the three Cullens.
By the time the dust and smoke settled, both of Carlisle's arms were burnt to ash by one of the torches Esme pulled from the wall, and Edward and Alice were on the floor in pieces beside Carlisle, all three faces wearing identical expressions of shock and outrage. There were not, however, any screams… all had their heads removed at the neck.
"What was that?" Bella asked, looking behind her at the deafening roar.
"I believe that might be the three former Cullens workin' out some of their betrayal and rage," Jasper smiled.
"Emmett, Rosalie, and Esme are killing the other three?" Bella asked in surprise.
Jasper shook his head. "I doubt they'll kill them, although I do think I smell some smoke. All three know if anyone has a right to kill them, it's us. Which is certainly true in Alice's case. I honestly don't give a shit what happens to Edward, though you might, in which case I'll support whatever you think is best. But I wouldn't blame any of them for wantin' their pound of flesh from Carlisle. It wasn't always the easiest of homes to live in if you weren't named Edward or Alice," Jasper explained as he opened the door to their suite.
"Carlisle may not have violated the law when it came to Esme, but I honestly think she has the most right to decide his fate," Peter said with a shake of his head. "She spent almost a hundred years with the man, nearly all of them married, and yet he lied to her from the get-go. And then to routinely take second or third place behind the two gifts Carlisle prioritized over the rest of y'all? The woman is entitled to some decision-making of her own for once."
Jasper, Bella, and Charlotte could only nod their agreement.
Jasper made some tea and toast for his mate while she took a quick shower, then the four sat together in the living room while she had her nighttime snack.
"What happens next?" she asked as she nibbled on a particularly dark bit of crust. "Also thank you for this, it's perfect," she told her mate with a smile.
"Now the kings decide," Jasper shrugged. "I got the impression from Aro that there are other answer he wants from Carlisle, though I'm not sure if they're related to us or not," he answered just before his phone vibrated with a text. Pulling it out, he saw it was from Rose.
Call me when you can.
Bella was sitting tucked against his side so she decided to be nosy and leaned juuuust a bit closer to read it.
Jasper laughed and held it up so she could see it easier. "All you have to do is ask, sweetheart."
Bella shrugged and smiled, unashamed at being caught trying to snoop. "I'm exhausted so why don't you give your twin a ring. That was a lot of shocks in a short period of time for those three. Once I'm asleep, they're all welcome to come over, I just don't have the energy to deal with them myself right now," she said as she stood up and yawned, stretching her arms over her head.
She squealed in surprise when something cold touched her stomach where her shirt had ridden up, and she looked down to see Jasper kneeling at her feet and gently pressing both hands below her belly button.
"Alright, little one," he said softly. "Mama needs her rest. She's tryin' to help you grow all your vital organs, so do her a solid and let her wake up without feelin' the need to hurl up one of her vital organs," he said and shot Bella a wink when she huffed a strangled-sounding laugh. Jasper leaned in and pressed a very gentle kiss on the skin he was cradling in his hands, then quickly stood up to kiss away the tears on his mate's face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry," he said, sounding all kinds of worried.
"Grateful, happy tears, Whitlock," she hiccuped as she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest. "Very big difference to sad tears. Also, you have a gift, you're more than welcome to use it when it comes to me," she said and tipped her head back so she could look up at him. "I promise I won't be all morally outraged if you read my emotions. It's just another sense you use to relate to the world around you. I'd never expect you to navigate your life without your eyes, and I don't expect you to navigate your life without your gift."
"Are you trying to get me to cry grateful, happy tears so you're not alone?" he snarked with a laugh. Since he couldn't cry, he instead let Bella feel his gratitude and happiness. "In lieu of my tears," he said when she smiled at what he was sending her.
"Y'all are too fuckin' sweet," Charlotte laughed, thrilled down to her toes at the look on Jasper's face.
Bella laughed and shook her head. "Goodnight, I'll see you in the morning."
"Night, Bella!" Peter and Charlotte chorused together loud as hell as Bella and Jasper walked into the bedroom.
Bella was already in her pajamas, so she crawled right into bed with a huge yawn. "This bed is so comfy," she said with a happy sigh, then let out another yawn.
Jasper laughed as he laid down beside her. "You won't even need me to help you sleep with how tired you are."
Bella did a half-shrug, which was all she was capable of in her current position. "Probably not," she yawned. "But it's nice that you're willing."
Jasper gave his mate a soft smile, which she didn't see because her eyes were already closed. "I'd be willing to do just about anything you asked, Bella," he said quietly, running his fingers gently through her hair. Bella let out a little hum of acknowledgement but she was already sliding into a peaceful sleep. Two breaths later, she was under. Jasper leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Anything at all."
Jasper opened the door to their suite and quickly found himself with a certain blond vamp wrapped around him, her face tucked in his neck as she shook from tearless sobs.
"Hey, shh," Jasper whispered as he wrapped his arms around his sister. "It's gonna be alright, Rose."
When she didn't let go, he just rested his cheek on the top of her head and held her a little bit closer, letting her feel all his love and reassurance. Jasper knew all too well what it felt like to feel entirely betrayed by people you thought loved you. The ground beneath your feet that had felt nothing but firm and solid suddenly felt as shaky and sifting as loose gravel. And for Rosalie, who was 'saved' by Carlisle the last time she'd been betrayed so thoroughly, it had rocked her to her core.
So Jasper just held his sister close and let her feel his love so she knew exactly where she stood with him.
Feeling two fierce bursts of matching sadness, Jasper lifted his head, not at all surprised to find Emmett and Esme watching the two of them with sad eyes. Jasper gave them a small smile and tipped his head to invite them in. Esme was pretty small so she slipped past him and Rose fine, gently resting her hand on Jasper's cheek for just a moment to let him feel her love, but Emmett was just too big. Instead, he pressed himself to his mate's back and reached around her to hug his brother, so Rosalie was surrounded by the two men who would always love her and never betray her.
After another minute or two, Rosalie took a deep, shuddering breath, then another, then another. Then she lifted her head from her twin's neck and nodded. "That's the last time I cry because of those assholes."
Jasper smiled and kissed her forehead and then he and Emmett both stepped back to give Rosalie some breathing room.
Jasper pulled Emmett in for a hug of his own, then turned to Esme who was waiting quietly and patiently a few feet away. He tugged her in for a long hug, letting her feel his love and reassurance in the same way he had Rose. Esme was another who had been betrayed by a man as a human, in her case a husband, rather than a fiancé. Here she was, a hundred years later, betrayed by the husband that followed him.
"The circumstances certainly aren't what I would've chosen, but it sure is good to see you guys," he said as he stepped back.
"I don't know, you finding your mate seems like a pretty good reason for us to get together," Esme said with a smile.
Jasper laughed as he closed the door and led them into the living room, where the round of hugs started again with Peter and Charlotte, who genuinely loved these particular Cullens. Or former Cullens.
Once the hugs were out of the way, the six of them settled on the couches to get the three newest arrivals caught up on what had been happening.
"And you had no idea Bella was your mate?" Emmett asked after learning most of the current state of affairs.
Jasper shook his head. "Nope. I mean, I knew I cared about her, it's why I made sure we had a safe way to communicate after we left and why her friendship all those months meant so much to me, but I wasn't in love with her or anything," he shrugged. "You easily could've knocked me over with a feather when I realized," he added with a laugh.
"Instead you knocked me over," a quiet, sleepy voice said as she walked in the room.
Jasper smiled and pulled her down on his lap. "That's true. I was in shock and walked right into the back of Bella and knocked her down."
"Better than knocking her up," Emmett smiled.
A strangled laugh choked its way up Bella's throat as Peter, Charlotte, and Jasper froze for the briefest of seconds before laughing.
"Bella reminds me often enough that I'm already dead, I don't think there's any worry about me knocking her up," Jasper smiled at his brother as he sent his worried mate his reassurance.
"Oh my god, can you imagine what kind of weird thing dead sperm would create?" Bella asked, still half-asleep. "Wait, do vamps even have sperm? 'Cause wouldn't you need to be alive to make that? I mean, they swim or whatever, which makes me think they need to be some kind of alive. Although you all can swim and you're dead so I guess… Why are you guys looking at me like that?"
"Do you mean in horror at where the fuck your mind goes when you're not quite conscious?" Jasper laughed a little incredulously.
Bella nodded and shrugged as she yawned again, then slid off Jasper's legs and walked a little unsteadily over to Emmett. She looked at Rosalie and pointed at him, and when Rose nodded and smiled, Bella climbed up on Emmett's lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Emmett closed his eyes and hugged the girl he'd considered a little sister, the one he was told wanted nothing to do with him ever again, his throat tight with emotion.
Rosalie was shocked when Bella crawled right from Emmett's lap into hers and hugged her, too. But considering this was the mate of the only man besides Emmett that Rosalie loved, she just smiled and hugged the half-asleep girl back.
Esme was one hundred percent prepared when Bella went down the line to her. She grabbed the girl and hugged her as tight as was safe for a human, and felt venom tears sting her eyes at the relief she felt that the girl she'd come to love so much hadn't hated her the way she was told.
"Holy shit, y'all are gonna make me cry in a minute," Peter snarked with a smile. "Imagine how the empath in the room is feeling."
As one, Emmett, Rosalie, Esme, and a barely awake Bella looked to Jasper to see he had a brilliant smile across his face as he watched them, his eyes practically shining with love. Bella smiled at her mate and slid off Esme's lap. She held up a finger and then darted from the room, only barely tripping over her feet, coming back a few seconds later with the soft blanket from the foot of her bed.
She silently climbed back in Jasper's lap and he wrapped the blanket around her, then she murmured a quiet "goodnight" and tucked her face in his neck. Within ten seconds, she was all the way back in dreamland, surrounded by the old family she'd thought she'd lost, and the new family she'd just found.
A/N: Do any of y'all have funny phrases for a one-night stand? Someone on AO3 used 'smash and dash' which I'd never heard and find hilarious. It got me thinking about a scene where Emmett and Peter compete to see who can come up with the best phrase. Any ideas you want included? I'll credit you for everything you supply. I just thought it might be fun:)
Thanks for reading and an extra thank you to everyone leaving feedback! ~ M. x